What is current a measure of in the photoelectric effect?
How much is the current produced by the photoelectric effect? Is that the question? I ask for me and for anyone desiring to answer you.
I am more interested in whether it is an accurate measurement of the amount of photons incident on the surface of the metal.
Photoelectric sensors are not 100% efficient, their capacity as generators depends of the purity and conformation of the receiver surface (so far silicon). You would need a circuit to multiply the voltage produced and then also use a photometer to create a graph involving both photons and electrons. I expect changes in the graph even for wafers of the same lot produced. It would be more accurate to measure photons with a photo-sensor similar to those in cameras.
If you're interested in the practice, getting the percentage efficiency and voltage output can roughly give you the photon's account. Yes, why not.
the current is proportional to the intensity of incident light. so you can say it's a measure of intensity of the incident light.
Join our real-time social learning platform and learn together with your friends!